The Issue of Metaphor in the Qur'an
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
First of all, O Shaykh! I love you for the sake of Allah, and I do not know if this is from the Sunnah or not! But after you said that the greeting is not from the Sunnah, I must be cautious.
The Shaykh: No.
May Allah reward you with good. There is no harm in this, and being cautious of error is a good thing; but this has been reported from the Messenger, where he said to Mu'adh ibn Jabal: (O Mu'adh! I love you, so do not cease to say after every obligatory prayer: O Allah, help me to remember You, give thanks to You, and worship You in the best manner) .
And I answer you by saying: May Allah love you, the One in whom you loved us.
The questioner: O Shaykh! There is disagreement among the scholars regarding metaphor in the Qur'an, and the issue, as is known, is that some verses actually require interpretation. So if there is no metaphor in the Qur'an! I want the issue to be clarified!
Those who said in favor of metaphor or against metaphor generally agree on the meaning,For example, Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Isra: 24] So they all agree that humility is not a bird with a wing, is it not?The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: So: what remains for us is to know whether the phrase or this construction is used in the Arabic language, and that the wing of every thing is according to its nature? At that point, the disagreement arises.
So those who say in favor of metaphor say: There is no wing except for birds, so if the word wing is used for other than birds, it is a metaphor.
And those who say: They say that the wing of every thing is according to its nature: for example, arrogance toward people and looking down on them is considered that the person who is arrogant and looks down has flown and risen, and this is the wing of elevation and arrogance.
So Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says: [Al-Isra: 24] Meaning: be extremely humble toward them, even if you want to be cultured,So you say, for example: I have a bachelor's degree, and my father does not know the letter kha from the letter ta, so do not be arrogant toward him: [Al-Isra: 24] .
Therefore: They agreed on the meaning; but they differed on whether this style is actually used in its context or not! So those who prohibited metaphor in the Qur'an and affirmed it, their prohibition was based on the fact that this metaphor was used in an incorrect manner,So they said, for example, regarding rising above the Throne: There is no rising above the Throne at all,And only His saying (the Exalted): [Al-A'raf: 54] Meaning: He took control of it,And if we say to them: But Allah said: [Al-A'raf: 54] They said: this is a metaphor for taking control. Look now! They denied a praiseworthy attribute of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and turned it into an attribute by which Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is not distinguished from others; because Allah is in control of everything.
Then His saying (the Exalted): [Al-Baqarah: 29] indicates that taking control is applicable to other than Allah;Since its meaning is: Then He took control of it.
So the statement of those who denied metaphor in the Qur'an and affirmed it is based on the fact that those who said in favor of metaphor reached by it the denial of something that is not permissible to deny.
Did you understand?! And the scholars have several opinions on this issue: Some of them said: all language is metaphor,Until you say: I ate and I became full,He said: This is a metaphor.
And some of them said: There is no metaphor in language at all,And among those who said this opinion: Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, and his student Ibn al-Qayyim, and the explanation of their evidence for this is not the place for it; because people may need something more important than this.
And some of them said: There is no metaphor in the Qur'an, but in language there is metaphor.
And the correct view is: That there is no metaphor in the Qur'an nor in language.
The Shaykh: No.
May Allah reward you with good. There is no harm in this, and being cautious of error is a good thing; but this has been reported from the Messenger, where he said to Mu'adh ibn Jabal: (O Mu'adh! I love you, so do not cease to say after every obligatory prayer: O Allah, help me to remember You, give thanks to You, and worship You in the best manner) .
And I answer you by saying: May Allah love you, the One in whom you loved us.
The questioner: O Shaykh! There is disagreement among the scholars regarding metaphor in the Qur'an, and the issue, as is known, is that some verses actually require interpretation. So if there is no metaphor in the Qur'an! I want the issue to be clarified!
Those who said in favor of metaphor or against metaphor generally agree on the meaning,For example, Allah the Exalted said:
And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy
وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِThe Shaykh: So: what remains for us is to know whether the phrase or this construction is used in the Arabic language, and that the wing of every thing is according to its nature? At that point, the disagreement arises.
So those who say in favor of metaphor say: There is no wing except for birds, so if the word wing is used for other than birds, it is a metaphor.
And those who say: They say that the wing of every thing is according to its nature: for example, arrogance toward people and looking down on them is considered that the person who is arrogant and looks down has flown and risen, and this is the wing of elevation and arrogance.
So Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says:
And lower to them the wing of humility
وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّAnd lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy
وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِTherefore: They agreed on the meaning; but they differed on whether this style is actually used in its context or not! So those who prohibited metaphor in the Qur'an and affirmed it, their prohibition was based on the fact that this metaphor was used in an incorrect manner,So they said, for example, regarding rising above the Throne: There is no rising above the Throne at all,And only His saying (the Exalted):
He rose above the Throne
اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِHe rose above the Throne
اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِThen His saying (the Exalted):
who created for you all of that which is on the earth. Then He directed
خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي الأَرْضِ جَمِيعاً ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىSo the statement of those who denied metaphor in the Qur'an and affirmed it is based on the fact that those who said in favor of metaphor reached by it the denial of something that is not permissible to deny.
Did you understand?! And the scholars have several opinions on this issue: Some of them said: all language is metaphor,Until you say: I ate and I became full,He said: This is a metaphor.
And some of them said: There is no metaphor in language at all,And among those who said this opinion: Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, and his student Ibn al-Qayyim, and the explanation of their evidence for this is not the place for it; because people may need something more important than this.
And some of them said: There is no metaphor in the Qur'an, but in language there is metaphor.
And the correct view is: That there is no metaphor in the Qur'an nor in language.